In article ,
mookie wrote:

PMFJI with a twist on the tourist question. I have a Chicago Card Plus
which is similar to an Oyster Card. I can use the one card for two people,
as long as I tell the operator (whether bus or Rapid Transit) who has the
card reader charge my card appropriately. Nowhere in Oyster's literature do
I see this addressed. So, would/can someone tell me if I can use one Oyster
Card for two people at a time, please? Thank you.

No, you can't (at least with PAYG - I doubt Oysters with Travelcards
loaded are any different though). Oysters don't work like a prepay
card for buying single tickets - it's more complicated than that. It
functions as a set of prepaid singles up to a point, and then caps the
charge, so all your subsequent journeys that day are free. As a
result, passing it back would be like using the same one-day
travelcard for two people, i.e. fare evasion.

I suspect if you tried this in practice, by passing your Oyster back
to comeone else, it simply won't let them through the gate if done
within several minutes of you entering (this is what happens with
paper travelcards). If it did, then your entry would suddenly look
like an unresolved journey and you'd get charged the maximum 4 pounds
single fare.